Only A Shadow Remains
by PokemonAuraMaster
Summary: Ash is forced into exile after being accused of a crime he didn't commit and having his heart broken by the girl he loved. There was a group who still believed him though and amongst the clones of Mt Quena Ash finds a home, finds a family and finds a reason to live after being betrayed by everyone else.
1. Shattered Dreams

Hello everyone, I'm a newcomer to the world of fanfic writing and I decided to start off with possibly the most cliché plot in the entirety of the Pokémon fandom. However, I thought it would be an easy way to start off and once I get a bit more confident I can try writing something a little more original.

I'd appreciate any comments you have whether they be praise or criticism although flames will be ignored.

* * *

Betrayal, an eight-letter word that Ash had never truly known the meaning of until today, sure he knew the definition of it but until you experienced it you never understood the true feeling behind it. The day had started so well, he had just finished training for his battle against Alain to decide who would win the Kalos League, sadly for those involved that battle would never get to take place. As Ash finished his training there was an explosion at the nearby Pokémon Centre, Ash saw this and immediately headed towards the building to help in any way he could and just hoped his mother had gotten out safely.

Almost everyone had gotten out, including to Ash's relief, his mother who had been injured but not fatally. However, not everyone was quite so lucky and after the rubble had been cleared there was over twenty people and at least a dozen Pokémon that had lost their lives in the explosion. While they waited for more news Ash and his friends had stayed in the hospital with his mother. Suddenly Jenny came in claiming to have the security footage prior to the attack. Jenny put the disk in the computer and played the security footage, everyone soon gasped as they saw a splitting image of Ash walk inside of the room and plant the explosive device.

As soon as the video ended everyone quickly turned to face Ash who looked mortified that they were even considering that Ash had done this. Sure, there was this security footage which would be pretty convincing, but they'd seen in the past how people and Pokémon were able to disguise themselves. There was no way they could guarantee that was him in the world they lived in where almost anything was possible.

"Ash Ketchum you're under arrest for arson, homicide and terrorism."

"What?! You've got to be joking, I would never do anything like this. Please guys tell Jenny that she's wrong, tell her that you believe me, right?"

None of Ash's friends replied to his question, many of them looked at him in horror and shock, Ash felt his heartbreak as his old friend Serena shook her head and looked at him in disgust. He turned to Dawn and May neither of whom could bring themselves to look at him despite how close they had been prior to this. Seeing two of his best friends abandon him felt like another dagger had been thrust into his heart. Ash finally turned to the man he saw as a big brother, a man who had always been there for him.

"Brock?"

"I'm sorry Ash but the evidence is right there."

With that one sentence Ash felt his whole world come crashing down, he'd lost his friends and he would presumably be imprisoned for these crimes he wasn't guilty of. A small part of him felt like giving up and just shutting down but the rest of him refused to give up like this and suffer for something he did not do. He looked at the unconscious form of his mother and placed a kiss on her cheek.

"Goodbye mum, I love you so much."

He felt bad that he was essentially abandoning his mother but there was no choice, he had to leave or else he would be made to pay for a crime he didn't commit. Ash looked at Pikachu who nodded at him clearly still on his side and the mouse let out a Thunderbolt on everyone to paralyse them. As everyone hit the floor twitching as they were stunned by the paralysis Ash didn't waste a second and sprinted out of the hospital while Pikachu zapped anyone who tried to stop them, once Ash was in the open he quickly sent Noivern out and jumped on his back.

"Fly south Noivern we have to leave."

The flying type didn't argue and simply did as Ash asked launching himself into the air and flying south at full speed. Ash sighed as he thought over what he would do now, he was a fugitive, so he couldn't challenge gyms anymore, hell he couldn't even be seen in public and all he had was his Kalos team by his side. As he thought over the ruined remnants of his life his eyes darkened as he looked to the sky above wondering why Arceus had allowed this to happen to him. He cursed the God Pokémon and started staring in the direction of the one place he knew he would be safe, Johto.

* * *

The flight to Johto didn't take as long as Ash had been expecting thanks to having both Talonflame and Noivern they were able to almost constantly keep moving only taking a few short breaks everyday to get some rest, eat and swap over flying duties. After a week of flying Ash and Pikachu arrived at where they would hopefully find safety, Mt. Quena the home of Mewtwo and the clones. Ash returned Noivern and walked inside the cave looking for any sign of Mewtwo and started to worry that maybe they had moved on. Suddenly a being came out of the darkness and slammed Ash into the wall.

" _How did you find this place human?!"_

"I saved an old friend from being enslaved by Team Rocket here many years ago."

" _Ash? I apologise had I realised it was you I would not have reacted the way I did."_

"Don't worry about it Mewtwo, you did the right thing, you were just protecting the others. I was hoping you could allow me to stay with you and the clones for a while."

" _You are more than welcome to stay here Ash but why do you want to?"_

Ash sighed and fought back the tears that threatened to fall as he told Mewtwo about what had transpired a week ago. By the end of the story Ash had let out a few tears while Mewtwo had become furious that those so-called friends had betrayed Ash when he truly needed them.

" _Those fools! Trust me Ash you may stay here for as long as you want. We are indebted to you and see you as an extended part of our family."_

"Thank you, my friend."

Ash smiled for the first time since he had been falsely accused of those crimes and followed Mewtwo as the clone led him deep inside Mt Quena to where the clones were. As soon as they saw Ash the clones swarmed around Ash to welcome him, Mewtwo had quickly relayed to them what had happened to Ash and were intent on making Ash feel at home amongst them.

Unable to hold it together any longer Ash broke down thanking all of them for being here for him. It didn't take long for everything to take its toll on Ash and he fell asleep amongst his new family who laid him down, so he could rest while Pikachu let out the rest of the Kalos team, so they could get to know the clones.

* * *

When Ash woke up the next day he knew that he had to do next, with his safety ensured Ash wanted to try and recover his old Pokémon. At nightfall Mewtwo and Ash teleported to Professor Oak's Lab and went out to confront all of Ash Pokémon. Sadly, they were too late as by that time they had seen the videos too many times and had convinced themselves of Ash's guilt.

After sending a powerful psychic attack at them as payment for their treachery Mewtwo took Ash back to Mt Quena feeling sorry that the poor boy had lost so much. As he placed the boy down to get some rest Mewtwo swore to get revenge on those who had hurt Ash, not today, not tomorrow, but someday he would make them pay.

The next day everyone spent time with Ash trying to help him and make him feel better, the young ones in particular who spent most of the day in his lap and playing games with him. Ash was appreciative of the clones' efforts and was grateful to have them here however there was one last thing he needed to do but he had to wait until the evening once everyone had fallen asleep. As night fell the clones, Pikachu and the Kalos team went to bed leaving only Ash and Mewtwo awake, Ash sought out the leader of the clones and found Mewtwo on the cliffs overlooking the forest around the area.

"Mewtwo there's one more person I need to see. I need you to take me to the house I am thinking of right now."

Mewtwo knew what Ash wanted to do and was reluctant to do as Ash asked, after what had happened yesterday with his Pokémon he wasn't sure that going to see the girl that he was clearly infatuated with was a very good idea. If she were to refuse him like his Pokémon had done, Mewtwo wasn't sure that Ash could recover from that. He placed his hand on the young mans shoulder, something that surprised Ash as Mewtwo was not the kind of being that was usually comfortable with physical contact in any way.

" _Maybe it would be best to wait a while before going to see her."_

"I understand what you are implying Mewtwo, but I have to do this now."

" _Very well Ash."_

After taking a moment to consider what may happen soon Mewtwo sighed and then in the blink of an eye they teleported from Mt Quena to a small house near the Battle Frontier. Ash started to walk away from Mewtwo towards the house when Mewtwo once again placed his hand on Ash's shoulder.

" _Ash are you sure you want to do this."_

"Yes, Mewtwo I do, I know why you're concerned but I have to do this."

" _Okay, just know that whatever happens Ash, me and the clones will always be there for you."_

"Thank you, my friend."

Despite his worries about what may happen to Ash in the next few minutes Mewtwo reluctantly let the young man go. He could not force Ash to not do this, well he could but that would be immoral and there was no way Mewtwo would ever do anything to Ash. Upon feeling Mewtwo release his grip on him, Ash walked up to the house feeling nervous about what he was about to do. Considering what had happened a few days ago this probably wasn't the best timing, but it could be the last chance he ever has to say this and maybe get her to come with him. He knocked on the door a few times and after a few moments he was greeted by the girl he had fallen in love with; Anabel.

"Ash? What are you doing here?" Anabel asked in utter shock.

"I had to come see you Anabel, I had to come and tell you something before I left. Anabel, I love you, I've loved you since we first spent time together. At first it was just a crush but over time it grew into something more. Now you have a choice, if you feel the same way as me then we go away and find a way to prove my innocence or you stay here, and you'll never see me again."

There was complete silence while Anabel appeared to be contemplating what Ash had just confessed too, the sounds of the wind being the only noise in the area. After some thought Anabel looked up at Ash with sadness in her eyes already telling Ash what she was about to say.

"I can't, I'm sorry Ash but I just can't go with you."

Ash felt his heart shatter into pieces as Anabel said those words, he had been expecting them, but they still hurt him down to his very soul. As he stared at the girl who had stolen and then broken his heart Ash felt the remnants of his broken heart growing cold and hard as he swore to himself not to allow anyone else to get this close to him. Ash looked Anabel in the eye with an emotionless stare which shocked Anabel more than anything else tonight, his eyes looked so empty and she realised that at that moment she had broken him.

"I understand, goodbye Anabel, as promise we shall never meet again. It's time to go Mewtwo."

Before Anabel could reply the clone appeared and teleported Ash away, back to Mt Quena where he'd be safe and surrounded by those who truly loved and cared about him. Mewtwo remained though as he had something he needed to do before he left, he looked down at the lilac haired girl with an enraged glare. He had been worried that this would happen which was why he had tried so hard to stop him. The eyes belonging to the clone immediately turned blue as Mewtwo used his psychic power to raise the empath up to eye level, he could see the fear in her eyes and he relished it.

" _You are a fool and one day I shall make sure that you pay for what you have done to him. Were it not for his feelings for you I would make it so you could never rest easy again, every night you would be haunted by all manner of horrific nightmares. However, I will not do that, even after everything that has happened he loves you so for now you shall not be harmed. That will change though if you tell anyone about what has transpired here, do you understand?!"_

A small nod from the petrified girl was the only answer the clone needed and knowing that Ash needed him right now, Mewtwo released the girl from his hold and she fell to the floor letting a pained yelp as she hit the ground. He glared at her once last time wishing he could make her pay for this right now, but he knew he couldn't. With a sigh Mewtwo disappeared leaving Anabel alone on the doorstep. Once she was sure the strange and terrifying psychic Pokémon was gone, Anabel allowed herself to cry, she looked up at the night sky as tears streamed down her face.

"I'm so sorry Ash. I love you too."


	2. Picking Up The Pieces

Hello everyone, I'm a newcomer to the world of fanfic writing and I decided to start off with possibly the most cliché plot in the entirety of the Pokémon fandom. However, I thought it would be an easy way to start off and once I get a bit more confident I can try writing something a little more original.

This is more of an extension of chapter 1 rather than a chapter 2 which is why it's pretty short so please don't leave reviews complaining about it being short.

I'd appreciate any comments you have whether they be praise or criticism although flames will be ignored.

* * *

When Mewtwo returned to Mt Quena he found Ash sat on the cliffs overlooking the forest, the boys' shoulders were trembling as he was obviously trying and failing to hide that he was crying. The clone sighed and sat next to Ash placing his hand on the boys back and rubbing it hoping he was helping. This sort of situation wasn't his speciality, he was much more suited to protecting those he cared for and destroying anyone threatening them. Ideally someone like Nidoqueen or Wigglytuff would be here comforting Ash but right now he was the only here.

" _I'm sorry Ash, I know how much you cared for the girl which is why id didn't want to take you there."_

"It's okay Mewtwo, I'd expected her to turn me down, but it didn't stop it from hurting. I wish I'd have listened to you."

" _No, it's good that you didn't listen to me, now you have a definitive answer, it's not the one you wanted but at least know what she felt. Otherwise you'd be asking yourself everyday if she would have said yes. The clones and I are here for you Ash, we will always be here."_

"Thank you, my friend, I'm so appreciative of you and the other clones."

Ash rubbed his eyes to dry the tears in his eyes and forced a smile onto his face as he looked at Mewtwo. The look saddened Mewtwo, it was obviously a fake smile and then broken look in the young mans eyes gave that away. Unable to keep looking into those eyes, Mewtwo went back to staring at the forest.

" _What will you do now Ash?"_

"I want to stop the evil teams, they've terrorised the world for too long and I'm going to start with Team Rocket. I will not force any of you to join me in this crusade. You and the rest of the clones are all free to do as you wish."

" _I think I speak for us all when I say that we're all with you Ash but before we leave I would like to help you learn to control your Aura abilities. There may come a time where none of us can help you and in those situations having at the very least a basic knowledge of Aura will be invaluable."_

"You are right my friend and thank you."

" _It is no problem Ash, there is one last thing I would like to discuss with you."_

Ash waited for Mewtwo to elaborate and watched as the clone formed a ball in his hand which solidified into a Pokéball like object, Ash inspected the ball and was certain it looked familiar. It then hit him, it was one of the Pokéball Mewtwo made to capture their Pokémon, although this seemed a little different to the ones Mewtwo had used back then.

"This is one of the Pokéballs you created but it looks a lot less terrifying."

" _Indeed, I modified them a little and removed the eye from the centre of it. The clones all have one for them, may I suggest putting all of your other Pokémon in these as well? It would make sure that no one could predict what Pokémon you will use in any given situation."_

"Good idea Mewtwo, we can do that in the morning once we discuss the plan with everyone."

Mewtwo nodded in agreement with Ash, the pair then stood up and went to get some rest in preparation for tomorrow however they both stopped when they saw something rising out of the shadows. It was a grey bipedal Pokémon. The area around its face resembled that of certain headgear such as a helmet with three horn-like protrusions on top. It had a bulb on each arm as well as a collar that wrapped around its neck. Its eyes are orange with yellow pupils. Above each eye is a spot that is the same colour as its pupils. It has two trails of shadows coming out from behind its legs.

" _Marshadow? What are you doing here?"_ Mewtwo asked.

" _Lady Ho-oh was worried about The Chosen One, I was sent here to help watch over him and considering what I just heard that was a good decision on her part."_ Marshadow replied.

" _I am more than capable of taking care of Ash."_ Mewtwo replied feeling a little insulted that Ho-oh doubted him.

" _I have no doubt about that Mewtwo after all you are the proof that two is better than one."_ The clone groaned at Marshadows' attempt at humour.

"It's good to see you again Marshadow, I'd love to catch up right now but I'm exhausted, so I'll go get some rest." Ash said.

" _That's fine Ash, we can talk tomorrow."_

Ash nodded and went into the cave to find an area for him to sleep in leaving Mewtwo and Marshadow outside. The clone looked at the small Pokémon wondering why he was here, to his knowledge Marshadow had played his part in Ash's life during the early days of his travels. Marshadow could see that Mewtwo was surprised by his appearance and chose to explain why he was here before Mewtwo started getting annoyed.

" _Listen Mewtwo we both know that the child is in a fragile state right now and Lady Ho-oh would just be a bit more comfortable with two of us watching over him."_

" _Very well I can understand her concern however it doesn't mean I like it."_

" _You should be grateful to me Mewtwo, she was going to send Lugia originally until I volunteered. Could you imagine trying to hide him here at Mt Quena? And we both know that Ash would never be allowed to go after Team Rocket with Lugia here, he is way too overprotective of The Chosen One after what happened in the Orange Islands."_

" _To be fair Marshadow it's not that surprising considering Ash nearly died again after Lugia had been temporarily defeated. Come we should rest up tomorrow is the beginning of some rigorous training."_

Marshadow nodded and followed Mewtwo into the cave, the pair immediately spotted Ash who had been surrounded by the clones that slept on land, they all wanted he young man to know that they were there for him. While Mewtwo had expected to see this Marshadow hadn't, he had been worried that it would be down to him, Mewtwo and the Pokémon Ash had in Kalos to keep the boy safe, but it appeared as though the clones were more than happy to support Ash too. Marshadow turned his gaze away and faded away into the shadows so he could rest and prepare for tomorrow.

Now Mewtwo was left alone and he was sorely tempted to visit that girls' house and give her a horrific nightmare, but he decided against it. As much as he wanted to do it he knew that Ash still loved the girl and it would upset Ash if he were to somehow find out that he had done that. The clone sighed and sat down in his usual resting spot, he glanced over at Ash and then closed his eyes as he fell to sleep.

* * *

The next morning Ash was woken up by the clones who had already woken up and started to get up, Ash stretched and then got ready for the beginning of the training that would start today. Despite everything that had happened over the last couple of weeks he was excited to start training. Ash walked out of the cave and found the clones as well as his Kalos team looking as though they had been waiting for him patiently. Ash turned his gaze to Mewtwo and Marshadow wondering what was going on.

" _We told them that you had to talk to them about something important."_ Marshadow said.

" _We thought it would be best if you explained what you had planned."_ Mewtwo added.

Ash nodded agreeing that it should be him who tells them about what he intended to do, if Mewtwo or Marshadow told them the clones in particular might be swayed to join him on his crusade because of the legendarys rather than any desire to stop Team Rocket. Ash looked around at all the clones, then at his Pokémon that had joined him in Kalos and then finally to Pikachu, his best friend, the one who had always been there for him.

"Alright everyone I have come to a decision as to what I will do now since I am a wanted man which basically makes my childhood dream unattainable now. I am going to take down Team Rocket, but I shall be training with Mewtwo on how to use my Aura before I leave. I want all of you to know that none of you are obligated to join me in this crusade to take down Team Rocket, it is entirely your decision. Should you choose to stand by my side against Team Rocket you have to know that you too shall be training intensely so that we are ready to disband that organisation for good. Take as long as you need to make a decision."

As soon as Ash finished Pikachu leapt onto Ash's shoulder and nuzzled his face, he would follow Ash to the end of the world and was more than happy to help Ash finally deal with Team Rocket once and for all. Ash smiled as rubbed Pikachu's head, grateful to at least have the mouse by his side for the upcoming challenges. The team that had travelled with him through Kalos then made their way to Ash and stood either side of him.

'We're with you Ash.' Greninja said.

While Ash thanks and hugged his Kalos Pokémon for their loyalty, the clones were looking at each other discussing the plans Ash had put forward. Eventually after a reasonably long discussion Nidoqueen stepped over to Ash and his team, the pair looked each other in the eye and after a brief stare down the poison type extended her arm to Ash who quickly shook it.

'We're with you too Ash.' Nidoqueen announced.

"Thank you everyone, now then how about we start training?"

A cheer came up from everyone in response, Ash quickly came up with training for everyone and once they all had their instruction they went off to start their training. This left Ash with Mewtwo and Marshadow who told Ash how their training would go. Mewtwo and Marshadow had spoken about it prior to Ash waking up and had divided the training between them, Mewtwo would help Ash learn how to use his Aura while Marshadow would help Ash train physically and martially. Ash was more than happy to agree with them and started his Aura training with Mewtwo.

* * *

Notes

So like I said before this was just an extention of the previous chapter, next time it will be a much longer chapter.


	3. A Mothers Support

Hello everyone, I'm a newcomer to the world of fanfic writing and I decided to start off with possibly the most cliché plot in the entirety of the Pokémon fandom. However, I thought it would be an easy way to start off and once I get a bit more confident I can try writing something a little more original.

Got to give a shout out to Temporal King who gives good detailed reviews.

Also, there are a few minor changes to the clones: Scyther is now a Scizor, Rhyhorn is now a Rhyperior, Seadra is a Kingdra and Vileplume is replaced by Bellossom this is mainly because I don't really like Vileplume, but I do like Bellossom. The clones of Bulbasaur, Squritle, Psyduck and Vulpix don't exist since they are redundant. Finally, the "baby clones" seen in Mewtwo returns don't exist.

I'd appreciate any comments you have whether they be praise or criticism although flames will be ignored.

* * *

While Ash was busy training his mother was still sat in her hospital bed, she had woken up a few days ago day but no one had told her anything yet, they'd said it was because she had still been extremely tired, but she knew that wasn't the truth. Today she was feeling much more focussed and this time she was going to get some answers to her questions, the main ones being where Ash is and why hadn't he come to see her yet. She didn't even care about what had happened to her, she just wanted to know where her son was. To her relief Professor Samuel Oak walked into the room and smiled at her.

"Ah good morning Delia, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine Samuel but I want to know where Ash is. I've been sat in this bad for days and I think I'm going crazy, no one is telling me anything and I'm getting really concerned about my son. So, tell me where the hell is my son?!"

Professor Oak sighed and sat down in the chair by Delia's bed, he gently took her hand and held it as the rest of Ash's now former friends walked into the hospital room. Delia found herself getting more confused by the moment because of both Samuel's behaviour and the presence of all Ash's friends but not her son. Delia looked at Samuel hoping he would enlighten her to what was currently going on. They were starting to make her worry that maybe Ash had been in the same accident as her but hadn't been quite so lucky.

"I'm sorry Delia but Ash is currently on the run, he is the prime suspect in the bombing of the building." Professor Oak said.

"You don't honestly believe that Ash would do that, do you?" Delia looked around the room and saw everyone just nod their heads at her. "I can't believe you're all so stupid. My little boy is all alone out there because you people are stupid enough to believe that Ash is capable of such a horrific act."

"Calm down please Delia, we wouldn't have believed Ash was possible of that but there was video evidence of Ash in the act. Jenny tried to arrest him, but he used Pikachu to paralyse us, so he could escape. All of the police forces are hunting for him, so he can be convicted of his crimes." Brock replied.

"Oh, please Brock in the world we live in almost anything is possible, there are Pokémon that can disguise themselves like Zoroark or the one you met in Alto Mare. And he attacked you because he knew that he wouldn't get a fair trial, he would be thrown in jail and the police would throw away the key. All of you get out now, I don't want any of you near me."

Before any of them could reply, Delia pressed the assistance buttons and within seconds Nurse Joy and a Wigglytuff walked into the room. The former looked annoyed as she could see that something had upset her patient while the latter was glaring at the people who had annoyed the nurse.

"Nurse please take these people out and don't let them back in."

Despite protests from the group, the most adamant amongst them coming from Samuel, Nurse Joy and Wigglytuff ushered them all out of the room leaving Delia on her own in peace. Once she was sure that no one was nearby Delia let out a sob at thought of her son out there all alone. She quickly rubbed her eyes to remove any traces of the tears and decided to try and get some more rest, the sooner she healed up, the sooner she could try and help her son.

* * *

(3 Months Later)

The training had been hard, intense and exhausting but after three solid months of training everyone had to admit that they had gotten a lot stronger. The Pokémon had all grown stronger, faster and had even added a couple of extra moves to their arsenal while Ash was getting closer and closer to gaining full control of his Aura. Today Ash was training with Marshadow who was suppressing his ghost typing so that Ash could actually strike him. The ghost was impressed with Ash's progress, he had expected him to have been so disheartened by what had happened that the training would have taken a long time. However, the opposite had been true, and Ash had thrown himself fully into the training resulting in him being as strong as he now was.

Ash suddenly threw another fist at Marshadow who was surprised by the speed that Ash had thrown it forcing him to stop suppressing his typing. This meant that Ash's punch passed straight through Marshadow, Ash knew that the only way that was possible was if Marshadow stopped suppressing his ghost typing. Ash groaned as he knew now that there was no way he could do anything to Marshadow.

"Come on Marshadow becoming a ghost type Pokémon again doesn't make this fair at all. How am I supposed to fight you with fighting moves?"

" _The power of Aura is greater than any type, if you are truly ready to dismantle Team Rocket then your attack will damage me regardless of my typing."_

This surprised Ash, while he had known that Aura was powerful he didn't know it as that powerful, Ash closed his eyes and focussed as an Aura Sphere formed in his hand. As he calmed his mind the orb shone brightly surprising everyone watching as they had never seen such a pure Aura. After a few more moments Ash's eyes shot open and he launched the Aura Sphere at Marshadow who stood there confidently.

It was obvious to everyone that this was Ash's best Aura Sphere thus far but Marshadow wasn't expecting too much. The orb hit Marshadow who surprisingly let out a yelp as the orb exploded when it hit him and launched him towards the rock face. Ash watched as the small ghost was sent flying into the rockface, slamming into it hard and falling to the ground while groaning.

"Marshadow! Are you okay?" Ash yelled as he ran over to the fallen Pokémon and picked him up feeling incredibly guilty.

" _I'm fine, I just wasn't expecting that. I thought the attack would just hit me and bounce off. I guess you're stronger than I expected."_

"I am so sorry Marshadow I didn't mean to hurt you."

" _Don't be sorry Ash, I've taken far worse than this and besides I'm glad this happened as it has proved that you're ready to take down Team Rocket."_

" _I agree, we're ready to begin our quest to defeat Team Rocket. First though there is something we must give you."_ Mewtwo added.

Ash was a little confused and wondered what they could possibly have to give him, Mewtwo, Marshadow and the clones had already given him a home and a family. Ash shrugged and followed Mewtwo and Marshadow into the cave, the former than vanished and then moments later reappeared but now he had a clothed mannequin. (Imagine Ryu's outfit from Ninja Gaiden)

"What's this?" Ash asked as he looked at the mannequin.

" _Your new outfit, you can't go around dressed in your Kalos clothes. They're ripped to shreds and any pictures people have of you will probably have you in your Kalos clothes."_ Mewtwo replied.

" _It will also cover most of your face, so people can't identify you and it's quite well armoured to give you some extra protection."_

" _Come out when you're dressed."_ Mewtwo finished.

The pair of Legendary Pokémon then left the cave to give Ash some privacy, Ash quickly removed his ruined Kalos clothes and then looked in the lake and then noticed a blue ring in both his irises. He splashed some water on his face thinking maybe he was seeing things but no when he looked again the rings were still there. They hadn't been there before, Ash knew that for sure so the only explanation he could come up with was that it was something to do with his Aura.

* * *

After staring at his eyes in confusion for a while Ash got up deciding to ask Mewtwo about it and started to get dressed into the outfit that Mewtwo had brought him. Once he was dressed Ash looked in the lake once again and was impressed at his new attire, it did exactly what both Legendary Pokémon had said and even though it was armoured as Marshadow said it was still quite light. Ash then made his way out of the cave and found everyone waiting for him, as soon as he was outside Pikachu and Pikachutwo jumped onto Ash's shoulders and nuzzled him.

"Thanks guys, it fits perfectly, but how did you manage to get this made?" Ash asked Mewtwo and Marshadow.

" _I visited your mother in the hospital and told her about the situation, while she has her concerns she supports your decision to go after Team Rocket. She claimed making this helped keep her sane while she recovered."_ Mewtwo replied.

A small smile formed on Ash's face as he thought about his mother sat in a hospital bed with nothing to do other than make him an outfit to take on an evil organisation. Ash wished he could go and see her, but he had no doubts that the authorities would be guarding the area hoping that he'd come back to see her. Ash sighed knowing that there was nothing he could do about that right now and settled on promising that one day he'd be able to thank her for this gift. Ash then remembered the other thing he wanted to ask Mewtwo about.

"Hey, Mewtwo I noticed that there is now a blue ring on my irises, is that something to do with my Aura?"

" _It is indeed Ash, there is only a ring right now because you have only just started tapping into your full potential. As you grow more in tune with your Aura abilities the blue ring will expand until your irises are completely blue."_

With his question answered

"We now start our mission to defeat Team Rocket, I do not know how long it will take nor do I know when we will see this magical place again. I say this so that you know what you're signing yourself up for, if any of you do not think you can handle this then you may stay here."

Ash paused giving everyone their chance to say something however no one said a word, Ash smiled as he saw that his family were fully supporting him and then returned everyone apart from Pidgeot, Pikachu and Pikachutwo. He placed all of their Pokéballs in the various pockets on his new outfit while Marshadow faded into Ash's shadow and Mewtwo donned his cloak since he had decided to fly alongside Pidgeot who had leant down allowing Ash to get on his back.

"Alright Pidgeot lets go, full speed to Viridian City. Watch out Giovanni, Ash Ketchum is coming to tear your organisation apart."

The Pikachu's and Pidgeot let out a small chair, while Mewtwo and Marshadow hummed in agreement. Then with a squawk flying type launched himself into the skies quickly heading towards the Kanto region.

* * *

After a relatively short flight the group landed on the outskirts of Viridian City, Ash recalled Pidgeot and then started walking towards the city with Mewtwo by his side. As they walked through the bustling streets Ash was surprised that he and Mewtwo weren't garnering too much attention, most people seem to be crowded around the local shops with televisions. Curious as to what had interested everyone so much Ash and Mewtwo walked over to one of the screens, staying near the back of the crowd.

Ash suddenly noticed his mother on the screen and immediately pushed his way to the front of the small crowd of people, so he could see what was going on. There was a reporter stood outside of his home in Pallet Town, he was relieved to see that his mother had healed from the explosion but was sad that this was the first time he'd seen her since the incident. He then started to wonder why his mother was on television as he watched the reporter holding a microphone up to his mother.

"Now Mrs. Ketchum I know that this must be a terribly difficult time for you after everything that has happened over the past three months. But you requested we come down here today because you have a message for your son."

"I do Mary." Delia cleared her throat as she looked straight at the camera. "Ash honey if you can hear this then listen to me. I know that you are innocent, but I seem to be alone in that line of thought, your friends have abandoned you and your Pokémon have done too." The reporter tried to take the microphone away, but Delia wouldn't let her. "Don't come home they're expecting you to do that, please go and find a way to prove your innocence honey. Good luck Ash, I love you honey."

"Alright mum, I'll do it but first I have to deal with Team Rocket." Ash whispered.

The reporter snatched the microphone from Delia and then cut the broadcast, his mothers caused quite the uproar as the crowds were all yelling angrily. The response didn't surprise Ash, everyone thought he guilty so hearing someone defend him was always going to cause some controversy. Ash just hoped that his mother wouldn't be bothered by people because of her opinion. With the surrounding crowd starting to increasingly annoy him, Ash walked away closely followed by Mewtwo headed towards the Viridian Gym.

* * *

Notes

Next time we'll start taking down Team Rocket.


	4. Clues & A Little Revenge

Hello everyone, I'm a newcomer to the world of fanfic writing and I decided to start off with possibly the most cliché plot in the entirety of the Pokémon fandom. However, I thought it would be an easy way to start off and once I get a bit more confident I can try writing something a little more original.

I'd appreciate any comments you have whether they be praise or criticism although flames will be ignored.

* * *

After a brief walk Ash and Mewtwo came to a stop in front of the Viridian gym which after all these years was still closed, the windows were broken and the only thing blocking someone from walking through the door was some police tape. Mewtwo looked across at Ash wondering why they were here.

" _So why are we here Ash?"_

"Well Giovanni used to be the Gym Leader here and may have left some information behind when he fled. I know that the G-Men will have come in and probably taken anything worth having but knowing Giovanni he probably kept a secret stash somewhere."

Mewtwo nodded and followed Ash into the gym, once inside Ash looked around remembering his previous visits here, first when he fought Jessie, James and Meowth for the Earth Badge. Then when he fought against Agatha and lost prior to his challenge on the Battle Frontier. Ash clenched his fists as he felt his anger building because of all those people he once trusted however he soon calmed himself down, his Aura training had helped him control his anger.

Ash walked across the gym to the door leading to Giovanni's old office and since he needed a way to relieve his anger he kicked it down which quelled his anger completely. Mewtwo soon levitated into the room and along with Ash and the Pikachu's started searching through the all of draws trying to find anything. However, their search was proving futile, there was nothing here but cobwebs and leftover Earth badges.

Ash sighed in disappointment and then glared at the painting of Giovanni and his Persian that was hung over his old desk. Ash looked at the painting and couldn't help but think what a narcissistic son of a bitch, Giovanni is. After a few moments Ash got sick of looking at the man's face, so he formed an Aura Sphere and shot it at the painting of Giovanni. Ash smirked as he saw it hit Giovanni's face but then frowned as he saw that he had only scuffed the painting which was still smirking at him.

"How the hell did his smug painting survive that?"

" _Because it's not just a simple painting."_

Mewtwo levitated over to the painting and then ripped it away from the wall revealing a safe, a smug smirk formed on Ash's face as he was proved right. It was also satisfying to know that the G-Men and Lance have overlooked this. Ash gripped the handle on the safe and tried to open it but to no ones surprise it didn't budge, they'd never have it that easy.

" _We could forcibly open the door but who knows what alarms that may set off which could then lead the police here."_

" _Allow me to handle this."_ Marshadow said as he rose from Ash's shadow.

Before Ash could respond the ghost levitated up to the safe and phased through the door. There was a series of clicking sounds followed by a quiet beep as the door swung open with a smug looking Marshadow stood inside.

"Nice job Marshadow."

" _Happy to be of assistance."_

The ghost bowed and then faded back into Ash's shadow, with Marshadow out of the way Ash could see a large file so he reached into the safe and pulled out the file. He placed it down on the desk and opened it up, a smirk formed on Ash's face as he saw that it was the location of a base located in Mt Moon. This particular base had spent years researching the Moon Stone trying to find ways to utilise its power for the benefit of Team Rocket.

Ash placed the folder in his bag and then walked out of the building with Mewtwo by his side. They knew their objective now: infiltrate the base at Mt Moon and see what they can find there to help them locate Team Rocket. However, before that Ash decided they'd take a little stop in Pewter City.

* * *

Ash walked into Viridian Forest, in a way retracing the path he had taken on his very first time in Viridian Forest. A certain tree caught his attention which made Ash stop in place, he stared at the tree and a soft smile crept onto his face as he relieved the capture of his first Pokémon. He could still remember how it felt when he had caught Caterpie, it was an indescribable feeling that he knew he'd never forget. This was tinged with sadness though as he thought about Butterfree, he wondered how his old Pokémon was and whether he had turned on his like so many others had.

Suddenly a Pokémon flew into view and landed on his chest giving him the closest thing to a hug he could. Ash looked down and saw a Butterfree on his chest, he saw a scarf around his neck and was almost certain that this had to be the Butterfree he had released.

"Butterfree is it really you?"

'Ash, we finally found you after all our searching. We heard what happened and we came to find you as quick as we could."

"We?" a pink Butterfree appeared in front of Ash. "Is this your mate? The one I met all those years ago."

'It is, we both owe you so much and we want to help you. We know you'd never do what people are saying you did.'

Ash was touched that one of his oldest Pokémon who had not seen him for years had stood by his side when so many who knew him far better had immediately turned on him. Ash took a pair of the Pokéballs Mewtwo created out of his pocket and held them out to the Butterfree mates.

"This is your choice, tap the centre of these if you want to stay with me."

Without wasting a moment both Pokémon tapped the Pokéballs and let themselves be captured immediately. Ash smiled at the Pokéballs and then placed them in his pocket with the rest of their family. With that Ash quickly made his way through the rest of Viridian Forest and entered Pewter City. Mewtwo looked at Ash wondering why they had walked here when he was perfectly capable of teleporting them to Mt Moon.

" _Why are we here Ash?"_

"I have to pay a visit to an old friend and give him a humiliating defeat that I should have given to him years ago."

A smirk formed on Mewtwo's face at the thought of Ash at least getting a little bit of revenge on one of those traitors, it wasn't much but it would be enough until the time came to really make them pay. The psychic followed Ash through the city until he came to a stop in front of the gym. After taking a breath Ash walked inside and was immediately confronted by one of Brock's siblings, he was pretty sure that it was Forest the one who had temporarily taken over the role of gym leader.

"I'm here to challenge Brock." Ash stated.

"Well actually I'm the gym leaders here, I'm Forest."

"I couldn't care less who you are or what you think you are, I'm here to battle Brock. So, run along and get your brother."

The young boy looked frustrated at being talked down to like that, he wanted to beat this guy and make him pay for disrespecting him, but it seemed as though whoever this is wanted to battle Brock specifically. Despite telling himself that getting Brock now would probably be best, Forest decided that he was going to battle this guy whether he liked it or not and sent out his Rhyperior. Ash saw the inferior Pokémon stood on the battlefield, he sighed and then looked to his left

"Psychic."

In an instant Rhyperior was lifted into the air and sent hurtling into the wall of the gym, he was thrown straight threw and then launched at the opposite wall. As soon as Rhyperior hit the second wall the psychic hold on him was released and he slumped to the floor unconscious. Forest was shocked at what happened, no one had defeated his Rhyperior so easily. The boy looked at the ones who had defeated him and he saw a pair of blue eyes shining from the cloak that had hidden whatever it was that was with the man. Forest returned Rhyperior and then glared at the man who had defeated him.

"My brothers gonna beat you bad."

"I wouldn't bet on that kid."

Forest glared at the pair and then ran through the back exit of the gym which led to the house, leaving a very smug Ash and Mewtwo temporarily alone in the gym. After a couple of minutes Brock walked into the gym with a furious look on his face, while Forest and the rest of Brock's siblings followed him. Brock stood face to face with the man who had embarrassed and disrespected his brother, he glared straight into the man's eyes and then walked to the gym leader box while Ash stood in the challengers' box.

"My brother says you have disrespected him I cannot allow someone to get away with that. Go Sudowoodo!

"All I did was request to battle you and then easily defeat him when he summoned his Rhyperior to battle me. Wigglytuff to the battlefield."

"I'm listening to your lies, Sudowoodo use Hammer Arm."

"Dodge his attacks while charging a Focus Punch and follow up with Focus Blast."

Sudowoodo's arms glowed white and he charged at Wigglytuff aiming strikes at her head and stomach however Wigglytuff was too quick for Sudowoodo and was easily dodging him as her hand started to glow white. An angered roar was emitted by Sudowoodo as he put all of his power behind one last Hammer Fist which, like all the others had done before, missed. The attack severely drained Sudowoodo who looked up just in time to see a Focus Punch headed his way. The rock type had no time to evade and was sent skidding backwards as the punch connected with his face.

A pained groan came from Sudowoodo as he rubbed the spot where Wigglytuff had hit him. While he had been doing this Wigglytuff and formed and fired a Focus Blast at Sudowoodo, the attack slammed into Sudowoodo who was forced to fall to his knees as he recovered from the two powerful attacks. Ash looked at Sudowoodo and knew that the battle was won, in a few moments the damage sustained would sap the last of his strength. He could have just waited for that to happen but where was the fun in that? He asked himself.

"Finish him off with Hyper Beam."

An orange orb formed in Wigglytuff's mouth and she quickly fired a powerful orange beam from the orb straight at Sudowoodo who's eyes widened in fear as he saw the Hyper Beam headed his way. He tried to move in any way to avoid the attack, but his body wouldn't response. The Hyper Beam engulfed Sudowoodo who managed to let out a short-pained cry as he was sent crashing into the wall of the building. Brock and his siblings looked at the badly damaged and now unconscious Sudowoodo they all loved and felt even angrier at the man. They all directed their glares at the man who laughed at their enraged expressions.

"Don't get angry at me, you had the chance to recall Sudowoodo, but you didn't. The pain he felt from that Hyper Beam is all your fault Brock. How does it feel to know that you caused your Pokémon harm?"

Ash felt a sense of satisfaction as he saw his words have an effect on his former friend, the man's shoulder had slumped a little and he had looked down clearly feeling some guilt over what happened. There was a brief moment of silence broken up by the sound of Wigglytuff being recalled, this snapped Brock out of his thoughts and he threw his next Pokéball.

"Go Golem."

'This one's all mine.' Pikachu stated with a smirk.

"Alright then, Pikachu to the battlefield."

Golem appeared in a flash of light and stood ready for battle. Then Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and landed on the battlefield he had once stood on so many years ago. He looked up at the ceiling and saw the sprinklers that had allowed him to win against Onix and knew that this time he wouldn't need any help to defeat Brock and his Golem. As Pikachu stared at Golem Ash noticed Brock momentarily flinch at the sight of Pikachu standing on the battlefield however he quickly recovered from that and refocussed on the battle.

"Use Earthquake."

Golem roared and then stamped down the ground hard shaking the ground and sending a series of crack heading towards Pikachu who jumped in the air to dodge the attack. Golem wasn't about to let up his assault though and some of the stones from the battlefield started to circle around him as he started to use Stone Edge. The stones were then launched at Pikachu who to the surprise of Golem, Brock and all of his siblings was grinning as the stones were rapidly approaching him.

"End this with Iron Tail."

Pikachu tail shone silver and he aimed his now metallic tail at Golem's head, his tail carved through the stones between him and Golem and the blow connected with Golem. The ground type staggered for a moment and then his eyes rolled back as he fell face first to the floor. Ash smirked as he saw Golem collapse, he'd expected to beat Brock quite easily, but this was even easier than he thought. The smirk on Ash's face grew as he saw Brock return Golem and look guiltily at the Pokéballs that Sudowoodo and Golem resided in.

"You're weak Brock, just like I thought."

With that Ash turned around and walked out the gym leaving Brock to think about the battle he had just had, he couldn't help but feel immense guilt for what his Pokémon had endured. All of Brock's brothers and sisters swarmed around their big brother hoping it would help him feel better but despite their best efforts nothing helped.


	5. All Your Base Are Belong To Us

Hello everyone, I'm a newcomer to the world of fanfic writing and I decided to start off with possibly the most cliché plot in the entirety of the Pokémon fandom. However, I thought it would be an easy way to start off and once I get a bit more confident I can try writing something a little more original.

I'd appreciate any comments you have whether they be praise or criticism although flames will be ignored.

* * *

With a little bit of revenge dished out on Brock, which had felt incredibly satisfying, Ash got back on track with his real objective in taking down Team Rocket. After diving down an alleyway so they wouldn't be seen Ash gave Mewtwo a quick nod and in the blink of an eye they were teleported away from Pewter City to the front of the entrance to Mt Moon. Memories of the past came to mind as Ash stepped into the cave, a small smile formed as he thought of the Zubat flying out of the cave chasing the man they would come to know as Seymour.

Suddenly a small part of those memories leapt in front of Ash, it was a small Clefairy which he was certain was one of the ones he had helped when he was younger. Ash crouched down in front of the Clefairy earning a confused look from the fairy Pokémon, they hadn't had much contact with humans much recently and when they had it had ended with them being attacked. So seeing a human crouched in front of her was odd to say the least. Ash could see the confusion on Clefairy's face and knew that she could probably do with a little clarity.

"Hey, Clefairy it's me, I'm the boy who helped you get your Moonstone back all those years ago."

Clefairy cocked her head as she looked at the strange young man, they couldn't remember someone looking like this although the Pikachu seemed familiar though. Ash then lowered his mask so Clefairy could see his face and hopefully remember him. After spending a moment looking at the young mas face curiously Clefairy then jumped on Ash and hugged him. The Clefairy all remembered the boy who had saved them and their precious Moonstone all those years ago.

"There are bad people here messing with you Moonstone aren't there?"

'Yes there are and they wear clothes that make them look a little like Seymour.'

A smile came to Ash's face once again as Clefairy mentioned Seymour, the man was pretty out there but he was a good guy and you could tell that he cared about the Clefairy, Clefable and the Moonstone. He had to wonder what became of Seymour since they'd met, whether he'd given up on his theory or whether he'd been forced away by Team Rocket. As curious as he was to the fate of Seymour Ash knew that now was not the time to worry about that. There was a base full of Team Rocket members who needed dealing with.

"Hey Clefairy, do you know a secret way into their base? I want to stop them and could use any help you can give me."

'Yes Ash we know a way in and we're going to help you.'

Ash wasn't so sure about letting the Clefairy and Clefable help with his siege on the Tea Rocket base, he knew that it would be dangerous and didn't want them to unnecessarily get in harm's way. However, before Ash could argue with the Clefairy she had skipped off to gather her friends and family, Ash chased after her but by the time he'd caught up, she had already assembled everyone. Ash sighed knowing that there was no way he'd be able to convince all of these Pokémon to stay out of harm's way, so he sent out all the Pokémon with him.

"Alright then let's tear this base apart. Clefairy's and Clefable's stay by the side of at least one of my Pokémon at all times, they'll keep you safe and you can watch their backs."

The Clefairy and Clefable all nodded at once to show they understood and then the Clefairy Ash met lead the way through the tunnels. The lead Clefairy came to a stop and was now peeking around a corner, Ash followed suit and saw a door guarded by a couple of guards with a security camera on the wall above them. It would be simple enough to deal with them, but Ash had to wonder if this was indeed the easiest way in, he looked at Clefairy who nodded at him.

'This is the least guarded way in, all the other doors have several guards and other defence measures.'

"Okay then, let's get this started. Mewtwo mess with the cables in that camera to disable it and Marshadow deal with the guards."

Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue as he used his psychic powers to manipulate the wiring inside the security camera which was quickly disabled leaving the man watching the camera's infuriated. Meanwhile Marshadow rose out of one of the guard's shadow and leapt in the air, delivering a kick to the back of his neck knocking him out instantly. The second guard was about to yell for help but was stopped by Marshadow leaping from the first guard and landing a punch to the second guards head. The blow knocked him back into the wall, the collision knocking him out as well.

Marshadow stood on top of the guards and smirked for a moment until he heard a voice coming from the walkie talkie belonging to the man he was stood on. Marshadow carefully removed it from the guard and gave it to Ash who had an idea how to get in the base without making a sound.

"What was that noise?" the man on the other end of the walkie talkie answered

"It was one of them Clefairy, it got a little overexcited and hit the camera with some strange kind of attack. I wasn't taking any chances, so I knocked it out. Open the door so we can teach it a lesson when it wakes up."

"Very good decision, it's been a while since we taught one of those little pests a lesson."

The door in front of suddenly opened with hiss revealing another guard who had a smirk on his face at the prospect of making another one of the annoying little fairies

"Come on everyone, you all know what to do."

The Pokémon all nodded, Ash's Pokémon as well as the clones split up into smaller groups and started to rampage through the base with swarms of Clefairy and Clefable helping them out. This left Ash, Pikachu, Pikatwo, Mewtwo and Marshadow who was still residing in Ash's shadow to deal with whoever was in charge here. Ash cast a glance to Mewtwo and could see the clone looking agitated, he was clenching his fist and Ash cold feel the anger radiating from him. It was obvious that Mewtwo wanted to be destroying this base rather than just accompanying him as he went after the man in charge.

"Go have fun my friend, I know you must be eager to demolish anything belonging to Team Rocket."

" _Are you sure Ash?"_

Ash nodded and watched as Mewtwo levitated away and like all the other Pokémon started destroying anything and anyone in his path. With the rest of the base under siege Ash slowly walked through the base avoiding all the destruction as he headed straight towards the main office. When Ash got to the door to the office he tried opening it but wasn't surprised to find it locked.

A smirk crept onto Ash's face as he formed some Aura in his hand and used it to obliterate the door. The Team Rocket members inside the room sent out their Pokémon to stop Ash however a combination of Pikachu, Pikatwo and Marshadow quickly dealt with them and knocked out everyone apart from the head scientist.

"Well, well, it looks like you're all alone now." Ash taunted. The scientist growled tried to punch Ash, but he easily blocked it. "Now that was a very, very silly thing to do."

Ash punched the scientist in the stomach making him wheeze and clutch his stomach as his ribs scared in agony. The scientist fell to his knees however it wasn't for long as Ash picked the head scientist up by his lab coat and then formed an orb of Aura in his spare hand which he was now aiming at the scientist. A whimper came from the scientist as he stared at the glowing blue orb that was mere inches from his face, he knew it was powerful and that it was in his best interest to do whatever this man wanted. An almost sadistic smirk crept onto Ash's face as he saw the fear in the scientist's eyes, he knew that this man would tell him everything he wanted to know.

"I want to know the location of every Team Rocket base and I want to know now." Ash growled darkly as he moved the orb of Aura closer to the scientist's face.

"T-t-the m-main computer d-databases will have e-everything y-you need." The scientist stuttered.

"Thank you." Ash replied.

The scientist sighed in relief assuming that he had saved himself from the wrath of the man who was still holding him in the air. That relief was soon shattered as he watched the man grin again and he failed to try and free himself. Seeing the scientist panicking only made the grin on Ash's face widen, after a moment of basking in the scientists' fear Ash punched the scientist in the face knocking him out. With the head scientist now unconscious Ash let go of him with a smirk on his face and watched him slump to the ground, Ash had to admit that that had felt almost as satisfying as defeating Brock.

Suddenly a huge hole was blown in the wall to Ash's right, Ash turned his attention from the unconscious scientist to the Pokémon responsible for the path of devastation leading to the hole.

"Enjoying yourself Mewtwo?"

" _Indeed, it's satisfying destroying something Giovanni created that has been used to make others suffer."_

"Glad to hear that my friend, I can't wait for the day when we can finally make Giovanni pay for everything he has done."

" _Neither can I Ash. What shall we do with them?"_ Mewtwo asked as he looked at all the unconscious men.

"Teleport them and all of the other Team Rocket members in this base to the nearest police station and plant some incriminating evidence out there with them."

Mewtwo nodded and moments later every single member of Team Rocket along with proof of what had happened in this base was dropped outside the police station in Pewter City. With the members of Team Rocket dealt with the rest of Ash's family as well as the Clefairy and Clefable joined him in the room, many of them looking a little disappointed as they hadn't gotten to have much fun with Team Rocket.

* * *

Suddenly there was an alert flashing on the huge screen indicating that Giovanni was currently trying to call them. Ash smirked and accepted the call watching as Giovanni appeared on the screen. The leader of Team Rocket was confused by this strange person and was wondering where the scientists who run that base were.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my base?" Giovanni then noticed all the signs of battle, the broken chairs and tables along with the gaping hole in one wall. It was obvious that this person had attacked and taken this base. "Who the hell do you think you are attacking one of Team Rockets bases?"

"Call me Shadow, I'm the one who will be tear your organisation to the ground Giovanni."

Giovanni glared at the man stood before him for a moment before he burst out laughing at the man.

"That was quite funny boy, how do you think you are going to defeat Team Rocket?"

"Well thanks to taking the base I'm standing in right now I have all the information I need to strike at your headquarters. You better get ready Giovanni because I'm coming for you."

Ash saw even more anger and even a flash of fear in Giovanni's eyes as the leader of Team Rocket ended the transmission. With conversation over Ash quickly started searching every desk in the room, looking for the evidence that Giovanni thought he had that would tell them the location of the other bases. Ash had been bluffing in the call but judging by Giovanni's reaction is was highly likely that such evidence did exist in this base. While he continued his search for evidence Ash spotted Mewtwo and Marshadow levitating beside him.

" _You aren't really planning to hit Giovanni's headquarters next, are you?"_ Mewtwo stated as he knew that that couldn't be Ash's plan.

"Of course, not Mewtwo, saying that I will do though will make him paranoid. He'll draw forces away from other bases to protect himself."

" _Leaving the other bases vulnerable and allowing us to free those trapped inside."_ Marshadow replied.

"Exactly." Ash suddenly found another huge file in the desk he was searching in which contained exactly what he needed. "Now let us go my friend we have more work to do."

Ash quickly recalled all of his Pokémon and after bidding the Clefairy and Clefable a fond farewell he headed towards the exit of Mt Moon, although he knew the location of every Team Rocket base he wanted to pay Misty the same kind of visit that Brock had received.

'Wait!'

Ash stopped in place and saw the Clefairy he knew following him out of the cave, Ash crouched down wondering what the small fairy could possibly want. They had dealt with Team Rocket and now their entire family could live in peace without worrying about someone harming them.

"Why are you here Clefairy?"

'I wish to accompany you on your quest to eliminate Team Rocket.'

"The offer is appreciated Clefairy, but your place is here among your family where you can live in peace. Our quest is dangerous, and peace is not something we will get to enjoy for a long time."

'While it is true that I love my family, I don't think my place is here, for years I have fought against Team Rocket to protect my family but with them gone they no longer need my protection, but others do. I want to help other Pokémon who have suffered just as much as my family has. I have discussed this with them and they have all agreed that I should go with you. So please Ash allow me to help you.'

After a brief moment thought Ash nodded and held a hand out to Clefairy who quickly shook it, she smiled and then showed Ash what was in her other hand. Ash immediately recognised it as a fragment of the Moonstone that was so treasured by the Clefairy and Clefable. A blinding light then filled the area as Clefairy evolved into a Clefable.

"Welcome to our family Clefable."

The smile on Clefable's face only grew wider and she immediately hugged Ash who returned the fairy's embrace. Ash then took out one of the special Pokéballs and captured Clefable in it, he smiled at the Pokéball belonging to their newest family member and then placed it with the rest of the Pokéballs. With Clefable now part of his family Ash headed towards Cerulean City intent on embarrassing Misty just like he had done to Brock.


	6. Not So Sensational

Hello everyone, I'm a newcomer to the world of fanfic writing and I decided to start off with possibly the most cliché plot in the entirety of the Pokémon fandom. However, I thought it would be an easy way to start off and once I get a bit more confident I can try writing something a little more original.

I'd appreciate any comments you have whether they be praise or criticism although flames will be ignored.

* * *

As he stared at the report in front of him a sigh escaped from the Champion of Kanto. Lance had been worked almost nonstop for the past few months since the incident in Kalos and the disappearance of Ash Ketchum on trying to find out who was responsible for the explosion and where Ash had gone. There'd been clues about the location of Ash almost constantly being reported over the first few weeks after the incident but all of them led to nothing. Lance was sure that there were people helping keep Ash hidden and safe, at this point Lance was seriously doubting that they would ever find the young man.

This left him focussing more on who was the true criminal behind the explosions since Lance knew that Ash would never do that. Suddenly one of Lance's top agents burst into the room surprising the Dragon Master who had been focussing intently on the reports he'd been reading.

"Sir, we have reports that a large number of Team Rocket member have been found by an Officer Jenny outside her station. They were unconscious with some minor injuries as well as some USB drives containing evidence proving what they had been doing in their base in Mt Moon."

"It would appear that someone is doing our job for us. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, I shall look over these drives and see what else I can find. Is there any news on the location of Ash Ketchum?"

"No sir but we are searching diligently for any sign of him."

Lance nodded in response which the agent knew was Lance's way of indicating the conversation was over and that he should return to his duties. The agent returned the nod and left Lance's office, so he could study the drives without any distractions. Once the agent was gone Lance inserted the first drive and found some of the evidence his agent had told him about, it all revolved around harnessing the power of the large Moonstone in Mt Moon to power some kind of armoured suit. Lance was a little disappointed that there was little more information on the suit other than that it was only about fifty centimetres tall meaning that Team Rocket must be planning on using it on a Pokémon.

With no more information on this drive Lance switched to the next one, what caught Lance's attention was a file containing security footage. Lance quickly opened that file hoping to catch a glimpse of who had so easily dismantled a Team Rocket base. The first thing Lance saw as the footage started to play was a pair of Pikachu standing on a man's shoulder. The moment Lance saw the Pikachu perched on the persons shoulder he grew hopeful that he had found Ash or rather found a trace of him. The Dragon Master zoomed in and saw that the person's face was covered apart from the eyes which looked so cold. What Lance found especially odd was that they were brown like Ash's but had a blue ring in the irises something that he had only heard about in fables of the legendary Aura Guardians.

While the Pokémon accompanying the man rampaged through the base Lance watched as the young man used what he was sure was Aura which confirmed his previous suspicions to break down the door leading to the testing lab. Lance continued to watch as the man entered the room and then rather viciously dealt with the members of Team Rocket. The last of his victims being the head scientist who after some threats and violence from the man had told him exactly what he had wanted to know. Lance expected to see the man let the scientist go but was shocked to see him brutally knock the scientist out cold without a hint of mercy.

"That can't be Ash, he would never beat a defenceless man like that."

Lance suddenly felt a headache forming, not only did he have to search for Ash and hopefully find him before any one else but now he had to worry about some vigilante running around ruthlessly attacking Team Rocket. Usually he'd be happy for the help, but this man seemed dangerous, he was willing to do whatever it took to get the information he wanted and that alone was enough to make Lance worry. The Dragon Master let out a sigh and started searching through the rest of the drives for anything he could find on Team Rocket and hopefully something on the man who had conquered that base.

* * *

Meanwhile Ash had arrived in Cerulean City and since he wasn't in any real hurry Ash decided to take quick look around the city. Ash wasn't surprised to see that it was mostly the same apart from the gym becoming even more ostentatious. A smirk suddenly formed on his face as he stared at the gym, it was time to get some payback on Misty for what she had done. As he walked towards the gym Ash realised he hadn't asked what exactly Mewtwo had left with the Team Rocket members and if he had found out anything about the project Team Rocket were working on.

"Hey what evidence did you plant on the Team Rocket members?"

" _I left some drives containing detailed information on everything they had been doing there as well as some security footage showing us tearing that base apart. I left out the information about base locations, they haven't earnt the right to that information."_

"Once again you have outdone yourself my friend. Did you find out anything about that armour they were working on?"

" _Unfortunately, not Ash, all I know is that it is similar to what Giovanni kept me trapped inside however it is much smaller so it's highly unlikely that it has been created for a clone of me."_

It concerned Ash that Team Rocket were building some kind of armour to enhance the powers and take total control of someone but with no more information about the suit there was nothing they could do for now. Ash sighed and walked into the gym, he was quickly surrounded by Misty's sisters, Daisy, Lily and Violet all of whom were staring at him lustily.

Mewtwo was a little confused at the human's strange behaviour, Ash on the other hand wasn't at all surprised. He knew that all of his training over the past few months had certainly made him look like the stereotypical 'hunk' that girls seemed to swoon over. Plus, it was well known that these three were not exactly lacking in bed companions.

" _Ah I see, they're whores."_ Mewtwo stated bluntly.

'Pretty much.' Pikachu replied as he stifled a snicker.

"Well hello handsome, is there anything I can do to… I mean for you today?" Daisy asked in a sultry voice.

"We can be very accommodating." Violet and Lily said as they each grabbed on of Ash's arms and pressed their bodies against him.

"I'd rather not walk out of here with some diseases caught from the likes of you. I'm just here to battle the psychotic bitch who claims to be a gym leader."

Violet and Lily immediately released their hold on the man and like their sister Daisy they glared at him, highly offended by his comments about them as well as those about Misty. They may pick on Misty on a regular basis, but they loved her and would always stand by her especially when some guy comes in and starts bad mouthing her.

"Hey, don't talk about Misty like that." Daisy said.

"Talk to me like what?" Misty asked as she walked into this room.

"This jerk insulted all of us, I won't repeat what he said since it was so vile." Daisy plied.

Misty directed a glare at the man and then momentarily flinched as she saw the pair of Pikachu stood on his shoulders, they were an unpleasant reminder of Ash and what he had done. With a shake of her head Misty once again directed a glare at the man and then noticed the attire of the man. It was strangely familiar to the description of the man that had beaten Brock recently.

"You're the guy who beat Brock aren't you?"

"I see my reputation precedes me." Ash retorted with pride.

"What you did to Brock is nothing to be proud of, you have no idea how much you hurt him because of your words and your actions."

"Whatever, I really couldn't care less about Brock and his hurt feelings. All I care about right now is a battle, now are you going to accept my challenge or add coward to the many other negative but accurate descriptions of you."

The insults as well as his glee in what he had done to Brock was only making Misty angrier, her eye started to twitch as her glare intensified trying to intimidate the man. This had no effect on Ash, it would take more than a glare from this pissed off psycho to scare him and smirked as he saw that he was clearly getting under Misty's skin.

"I accept your challenge, we'll have a double battle to make this interesting."

"That's fine with me, Charizard and Ninetales you're up."

The fire types burst out of their Pokéballs and stood on the platform on Ash's side of the field. A small crowd who had been swimming in the other pool had quickly gathered to watch the battle and as soon as they saw Ninetales and Charizard appear they started to laugh with all four Sensational Sister being amongst the loudest. It was ridiculous that someone had come to a water gym with fire type Pokémon.

"Ha! You seriously came to a water gym with two fire type Pokémon, how on earth did someone like you beat Brock?"

"Easy, he's weak just like you. Now choose your Pokémon."

Misty growled angrily and quickly pulled a pair of Pokéballs out of her pocket.

"Misty calls Seaking and Starmie!"

The Pokémon appeared in a flash of light, Seaking submerging himself in the pool while Starmie stood on the platform opposite Charizard and Ninetales. Ash smirked as Seaking and Starmie appeared as he recognised them both from when he had travelled with Misty, this showed that Misty clearly meant business since she was using her two most experienced Pokémon.

"Both of you use Hydro Pump."

"Block them with Fire Spin."

A pair of powerful jets of water shot from both Seaking and Starmie aiming straight for their opponents who merely smirked and quickly summoned a vortex of flames to surround them. Everyone watched on confident that the Hydro Pumps would tear through the Fire Spins and knock out both Charizard and Ninetales. The water connected with the fire and both Charizard and Ninetales were engulfed in steam. Suddenly with a powerful flap of his wings Charizard blew away the steam revealing that both he and Ninetales were unharmed shocking everyone watching.

"What? How the hell did that Fire Spin block a Hydro Pump?!" Misty yelled in shock.

"You're going to have to do better than that if you want to even damage my Pokémon."

"Alright then, Seaking use Horn Drill on Charizard and Starmie use Rapid Spin on Ninetales."

"Charge your electrical attacks and catch them."

The horn on Seaking's head glowed white while Starmie started to spin around quickly, the former then charged through the water and leapt at Charizard while the later aimed itself at Ninetales. The fire types in response did as Ash instructed, Charizard's fists started to crackle with charged electricity as did Ninetales mouth. Just as the water types were about to connect with their attacks, Charizard grabbed Seaking's horn and Ninetales clamped her mouth down on Starmie's jewel. Both water Pokémon screamed in pain as the electrical attacks shocked them badly, despite the cries of submission coming from both Seaking and Starmie neither fire type released their grip.

"End this farce with Flamethrower."

Both fire types nodded and engulfed Seaking and Starmie in a powerful Flamethrower, the flames shrouding them from view but while they couldn't see the water Pokémon, their screams of pain told everyone what was happening. Once the screams of pain died down Charizard and Ninetales ended their attack which revealed the burnt and unconscious forms of both Seaking and Starmie.

With their enemies defeated Ash returned thanked Charizard and Ninetales and then returned them, placing their Pokéballs back safely inside his pocket. Ash then turned hi gaze to his former friend and smirked at the broken look on her face, it was even better than the one he'd seen on Brock's face.

"You're just as weak as Brock." Ash stated.

With his point made and a little bit of revenge dished out, Ash walked out of the gym leaving Misty to lament over her crushing defeat. Once outside Ash turned his gaze south, he was tempted to head to Vermillion City and see if Squirtle was still there and believed in him but decided against it in the end. There was little chance that he was still on Ash's side, he has an Officer Jenny whispering in his ear daily, so she would have convinced him of Ash's guilt. With little else to do Ash nodded at Mewtwo who teleported them both to a forest near the next Team Rocket base they intended to destroy.


	7. Destruction & Protection

Hello everyone, I'm a newcomer to the world of fanfic writing and I decided to start off with possibly the most cliché plot in the entirety of the Pokémon fandom. However, I thought it would be an easy way to start off and once I get a bit more confident I can try writing something a little more original.

I'd appreciate any comments you have whether they be praise or criticism although flames will be ignored.

* * *

The next Team Rocket base fell in almost the blink of the eye, Ash and co had torn through that base, destroying anything in their way and knocking out the members of Team Rocket. After finding enough evidence to send this group to jail as well, Mewtwo teleported them in front of the nearest police station as he had to done to the last group. Five more bases soon fell in the months following that adding to the number of agents in jail and weakening Giovanni's grasp on Kanto.

Ash had searched through every base extensively and hadn't found much of interest although he was grateful that these bases seemed to have avoided harming anyone while doing their research. They were still evil and deserved to be punished for their crimes but at least they hadn't resorted to using innocent people and Pokémon. With seven bases now taken down Ash knew that Giovanni would be getting infuriated as his organisation started to crumble so it would be the perfect time to give him a ring. Ash pressed a few buttons on the desk in the office of the most recent base he had taken and watched as a furious Giovanni appeared on the screen.

"Hello Giovanni, it's nice to see you again."

"You little shit, you deceived me."

"Not really, I said I was coming for you. I didn't say when or where. You just heard what you wanted to and interpreted it that way."

"It matters not, I'm going to enjoy watching you suffer boy, nobody messes with Team Rocket and gets away with that."

"Funny, that's exactly what I've been doing for the past few months. Tell me Giovanni how does it feel to have everything you worked so hard to build be systematically torn down?"

The leader of Team Rocket growled threateningly and intensified his glare, this person was severely pissing him off, not only was he tearing down bases right, left and centre but he had the gall to stand their and mock him over it. After a few moments Giovanni snapped and broke the monitor severing the connection and leaving Ash and Mewtwo smirking at the screen. Their attacks on Team Rocket's bases were clearly getting to Giovanni who seemed to be losing control and giving into his anger. This played in Ash's hands as sooner or later Giovanni's anger will cause him to make a costly mistake. One that they would capitalise on when the time comes.

* * *

With another base now down Ash looked through the notes he had gathered from attacking various bases and chose the next base they would hit, this one being a little better hidden as it was to the east of Cinnabar Island. Ash placed the notes back in their place, returned all of his Pokémon and then turned his gaze to Mewtwo who looked a little troubled by something.

"Come my friend, we must leave, we have more bases to destroy unless something is wrong."

" _Ash we need to return to Pallet Town immediately."_

"What? Why?"

" _Something is causing your mother deep distress and we must find out what is going on."_

"Take us there immediately!"

Mewtwo nodded and immediately teleported them inside the house Ash's mother still lived in, once inside the house Ash started looking around in a panicked frenzy as he feared the worst had happened. Upon finding nothing in the downstairs rooms Ash got desperate and charged upstairs but found nothing up there either. Ash went back downstairs and went to the only place he hadn't checked, the closet. He tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge.

"Hello? Hello? Are you in here?!" Ash yelled in concern.

" _Mrs Ketchum are you in here?"_ Mewtwo added hoping that she was alright.

Upon hearing Ash's voice out loud and the telepathic voice of Mewtwo calling her, the lock on the closet was unlocked and Delia walked out with Mimey right behind her. As soon as he saw his that mother was okay Ash hugged her tightly happy that after all of these months he could finally see her again. Delia quickly returned the embrace giving Ash one of the bone crushing hugs that he remembered so fondly. The last time he had seen her she had been unconscious in a hospital bed so seeing her up and about was such a relief to him.

"What are you doing here? If the police, see you here they'll be trouble."

"A friend of mine told me you might be in danger, so I came here immediately and there's nothing the police can do when we have our friend here to take us away. Why didn't you tell our friend and then me what was going on?"

"I didn't want to worry you with this considering you have this whole crusade against Team Rocket, but people have been harassing me since I did that interview. Prior to today the most they had done was yell obscenities at me and wreck the front garden but today they started throwing bricks through the windows. We got scared of what they might do next, so we locked ourselves in the closet."

With that Ash made his decision, there was no way he'd leave his mother here to be harassed, threatened, attacked and maybe even worse by the vile humans here. This was just further proof to him how vile humanity is and he started to wonder if Mewtwo had had a point back when they first met. He was finding less and less reason to have any faith in humans whereas Pokémon were far more trustworthy and reliable.

"That's it, pack your things, there's no way you are staying here when people are threatening you and putting you in danger. We'll take you and Mimey to where I've been staying and figure something out from there."

While Delia was reluctant to leave the place that has been home for so much of her life she had to admit that it wasn't safe here anymore and the people she had once called friends had segregated her from them because she had stood by her son. With a sigh Delia looked around her home and started to gather anything that she wanted to keep, photo albums, letters and anything else she could find of sentimental value. With the help of Mimey, Delia started packing her belongings into suitcases and then went up to her room to pick some clothes. In The meantime, Ash went up to his room to see if there was anything in there he could salvage

Ash walked into his room and saw that his badges, his symbols and all the other awards he'd won were still in their rightful places. There was a part of Ash that wanted to take everything proving his achievements and the other part wanted to leave them as they were no longer part of his life. In the end the latter part won out, there was no point wasting time taking things that reminded him of the old life that had been snatched away from him.

These useless relics could stay here and be looted by whatever lowlife comes here first, they didn't matter anymore, nothing in this room mattered any more. It was all chronicling the journey of Ash Ketchum to become a Pokémon Master which by all records no longer existed which again proved their worthlessness. Ash let out a sigh and left his old room, leaving some of the last remaining fragments of his past behind.

* * *

Once she finished packing her bags, Delia saw Ash leave his room empty handed and while her son no longer cared for those things that he had worked so hard for, she did, they reminded her of the Ash that had been broken the day that he had been framed and heartbroken. The kind, sweet and innocent young man who in the blink of the eye was turned into a much colder and harsher man. The kindness still remained but that was reserved for family, everyone else would probably never get to see that side of Ash again. It saddened Delia to see her son so changed but she wasn't overly surprised as Mewtwo had warned her that Ash had lost a lot of his old self and it was replaced with what he was now.

Delia opened one of the bags Mimey was carrying and started placing all of Ash's achievements inside, she wasn't going to let these things be taken away by some thief. The bag was soon full, so Delia zipped it closed so Ash wouldn't know they were in there, she was sure that Ash would insist on leaving them here and she wasn't prepared to do that. With everything packed Delia and Mimey walked downstairs, Ash quickly taking the bags out of his mothers' hands, so she wouldn't have to carry them.

"Are you ready to leave?"

Delia took last look around her home, internally saying goodbye to the place she had come to love. "Yes."

"You know what to do my friend."

Mewtwo nodded and then the group were teleported away, moments later the door burst down as G-Men, police officers and agents belonging to multiple authorities entered the house. Their sensors had picked up the voice yelling which had been quickly identified as Ash's Ketchum's voice. They had no clue how he managed to get in without any of them spotting him but that really didn't matter, all that mattered was getting in the house and capturing him. Every agent there tore through the house but could find no trace of Ash or his mother. After a thorough search the agents left the building annoyed that Ash had someone come here, taken his mother and escape without them even seeing him.

* * *

Ash, Mewtwo, Mimey and Delia all appeared in the caves of Mt Quena next to the lake, Ash immediately sent out the rest of his family who were quick to introduce themselves to Delia and welcome her. Once everyone had gotten acquainted with Delia they all settled down into their own little resting area leaving Ash, Delia, Mimey and Mewtwo stood by the lake.

Delia let out a sigh and then turned to her son, while she appreciated him coming to help her and get her to safety, she knew that she couldn't stay her. She loved Pokémon just like her son did but unlike him she couldn't just live with them, she needed human interaction and she still wanted to part of a community, ideally running a small cafe.

"I'll be honest Ash; this place is beautiful, and I'm honoured that I have been permitted to see it. However, while you may be able to live out in the wilds with Pokémon I can't. I need to talk to people and I still want to run a little café, I'm sorry but I can't live with you out here."

"It's okay mum, I had already assumed that you would feel this way. Luckily there's a small village nearby that'll be perfect for you. Only a couple hundred people live there, and I believe they are lacking a café, the problem is people will know what you look like which could lead to the same problems you faced in Pallet."

" _I believe I have a solution."_ Mewtwo suddenly stated. _"It involves your Aura Ash."_

"My Aura? What about it?"

" _You transfer a small portion of your Aura to your mother, it will change the colour of her eyes and hair which will make it much harder for people to recognise her. it will also change her Aura signal so Pokémon like Lucario could not be used to locate her and it will give us some warning if she is in trouble."_

"Well it's your decision mum."

"Okay Ash, it sounds like the best solution for our current situation. What do I have to do?" Delia asked Mewtwo.

With Delia consenting to this Mewtwo wasted no time and took Ash's hands and placed them on his mothers,

" _Focus solely on channelling your Aura, it will know what to do."_

Ash closed his eyes and began focussing on his Aura, feeling it slowly raising in power and surrounding his body. The Aura then travelled down Ash's arms and formed around his hands with a few small wisps tentatively making contact with Delia's hands. After a few moments the Aura transferred completely from Ash to Delia who shuddered at the sensation. She could feel the power of the Aura building, her eyes quickly changed from their former honey colour to a blue as pure as Ash's Aura with her hair taking on a similar colour.

The Aura surrounding Delia eventually died down as it knew its work was down, Delia quickly looked in the lake to see her reflection and check out her new appearance. A smile formed on her face as she had to admit she liked the new look and if it helped keep her and by extension Ash safe then more the better.

"I never knew how much blue would suit me."

There was just one last thing though, she took the hairband out of her hair watching as her long hair fell forward and took a pair of hair sticks out of one of her bags. While the colour changes would help her look different, her hairstyle still linked her to her old appearance, so she used the sticks to knot her hair at the back of her head leaving them in her hair to keep it secure. She once again looked in the lake and was happy with what she saw, there was no way anyone would recognise her now.

"Alright this is perfect. Now we just have to find a place for me live and a place to set up a café." Delia said.

" _I've got that covered, just leave it to me."_ Marshadow stated as he rose from Ash's shadow.

* * *

Notes

Alright so I know I'm probably over using Aura in this but hey we all know that Aura and the Aura Guardian were some OP bullshit that was created and never fully explained so I though fuck it lets use it in various scenarios.


End file.
